Apparatus for distilling hydrocarbons



Nov. Z7 1923.

C. W. THOMPSON APPARATUS Fon DISTILLING HYDRocAnBoNs Filed Jan# 27. 1922 gnou T01', @7127 W Thonz/vsan Patented Nov. 27', 1923.

'- UNITED 'STATES PA TENTl OFFICE.

CAREY W. THOMPSON, F DENVER, COLORADO.

Application l'ed January 27, 1922. Serial No. 532,128.

To .all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CAREY W. THOMPSON, a citizenfot' the vUnited States, and .resident of .Denver in the county of Denver and State of lolorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus 'for Distilling Hydrocarbons, of whiclrthe following isa specification.. A

My present invention concerns an improved a paratus for use in the treatment of ,hydrocarlbon oil or vapors, and relates more particularly to apparatus designed for use in car-ryn out the method ot treatment which forms xe subject of an application tiled by myself and H. C.Beeler on the 29th day e Qfaseptembe'r, 1921, Serial No. 504,247.

n 'fftThe Ainvention aims to provide a construction ingwhich'all tendency ofthe clogging of the ygranular material used yas a carrler for hydrocarbon as it isfconveyed through the apparatus will beavoided, such clogging be- Iing likelyto occur unless specific provision is madetoiprevent'it, due to' the fact that thereis `an expansion ofthe material conveyed by the .conve or, due to the increased temperature thereo in theI retort.

`l`The invention further' aimsto provide in connection with such a'retort conve or feed mechanism having avariable Spee control whereby'the -quantity of material fed to the retort may be varied at will.

Another object is to rovide a retort with a sealed discharge wh1ch,will prevent any passage of air back into the retort.

With these and other objects .in View, the invention includes the'novel features of construction and arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described, and .particularly defined by the appended claims. v

An embodiment of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings', in which:

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of my'improved apparatus, and

Figure 2 is a transverse section.

Referrin by reference characters'to these drawings, t 1e numeral 1 designates the converter as a whole, and as this, except 1n the features hereinafter referred to, forms no part of the present invention, specific description of all of the parts shown is deemed unnecessary. It suihces to say in this connect-ion that the converter comprises a substantially cylindrical retort member 2 whlch extends longitudinally through the converter, and which is open at its upper side into a chamber 2* through ports 2, 2b, and 2cv, lwhich chamber communicates at -its initial end with a gas delivery, pipe 3, through which vaporizcd products from the heated hydrocarbon are conveyed for further treatment, and also with t-he feed end of the retort.v It also comprises a chamberl 2dl which-maycommunicate by a delivery pipe d with a superheater, notshown.

The retort is designed to have pulverulent or granular material suppliedl thereto, such asgranular carbon containing material, coa-l, spent shale, or oil bearing shale, according to the manner of use ofthe apparatus, by the feed mechanism hereinafter more particularly described, the said material being yconveyed through the retort by the conveyor screw 3 and the retort being heatedby the heat chamber 4, to. whichheating apparatus vapors or gases may be supplied through pipe 4 from any ,suitable"source, not shown.

A hydrocarbon oil 'is delivered. from a suitable source through ipe 12 toy th'e'granular material within t e conveyor,. 4`which thereupon becomes coated with suchhydrocarbon. .This mass is progressively heated as it passes throughthe apparatus, vapors liberatedat diierent temperatures passing upward through ports d, 2a, 2"`and 2,1fr`om which'they maybe taken 'to otherv ap aratus for -further treatment as desired. assage 2x also communicates with the cold end of the conveyor and allows any heavy distillate to be neconveyed through the apparatus. The presence in the apparatus of steam or a fixed gas, such as CO2 has been found beneficial, and I provide for its introduction as by pipes 13 and 14.

I have found that ifthe retort is made of uniform diameter and the lhelical conve or of uniform pitch, the granular material has a tendency to expand under the action of the heat at the initial end of the retort,and to clog or load up the retort beyond its capacity.I To revent any danger of such clogging action, make the retortl of a gradually increasing ldiameter or cone shape from a point in the first hot chamber where the shale, coal or other material begins to be l heated and therefore to swell or expand under the action of the heat, to about the point where the first hot chamber is divided or veniently by extending the shaft through the front end of the retorta'nd providing it witha driving pulley 3a( The granular material is supplied to the retort by a'h'opper 51which delivers at its lower end into a -feed chamber 6 within which is located a feed screw 7?* carried by a hollow shaft 7 rotatably mounted upon the sha-it of the main conveyor.v Means are provided by which this feed screwmaybe rotated continuously at any desired speed,

and such variable yspeed driving 'mechanism 'may be-otany desired form, as for instance, step pulleys, as indicated at 7F.' The joints 4are provided with suitable stuffing boxes, as

vconventionally illustrated at 8, 8a and 8b.

By this arrangement the material may bedelivered in a continuous manner from the hopper to the feed screw, but at a -rate which I will be 'found most suitable to carry' out the process;

In order to properly deliver the material from the delivery end of the conveyor While maintaining a closure or seal against entrance-of air, I provide the retort at the delivery end with adepending leg 9'which delivers at v'its lower end into an outlet chamber 1Q of cylindrical form, within which is located a delivery screw fwhich delivers the material into a discharge spout 11, the body of material passing through the ,Chamber 10 serving to seal the retort against 4the entrance of air.' V The delivery screw may be driven in any suitable manner conveniently from a projected vend of the conveyor shaft by means of belting` indicated at 15.

While l have shown the feed 'screwvas located inllongitudinal alignment .with the conveyor screw, it will be .understood 'that this is illustrative of my preferred 'form and that my invention is not limited to this spe'cic arrangement, as it is obvious that the delivery screw might. deliver into the initial end of the retort at any angle which miofhtbe desired.

laving thus described my invention, what lclaim is:

'An apparatus for the distillation of hydrocarbons, including an elongated retort, `a cl-i'x-unher therein' containing a conveyor, a heat chamber'under a part of'said conveyor, said conveyor increasing in diameter from a point over the beginning of the heat chamber toa point intermediate the beginning4 and.

end of said heat chamber, 'said conveyor being of uniform diameter for the remaiuridei""i"v ot its length, said conveyor chamber havin" an' enlarged portion above the Iconveyor a serles of ports leading to a take-O above the chamber, said' take-off communicating with that portion of the e'onveyorehamber not over the tire chamber.

. In testimony whereof, I aix my" signa ture. l CAREY W. THOMPSON. 

